[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 244 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 75014-75016]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30519]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

15 CFR Part 950

[Docket No 121205685-2685-01]
RIN 0648-BC83


Schedule of Fees for Access to NOAA Environmental Data, 
Information, and Related Products and Services

AGENCY: National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service 
(NESDIS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: In this final rule, NESDIS establishes a new schedule of fees 
for the sale of its data, information, and related products and 
services to users. NESDIS is revising the fee schedule that has been in 
effect since 2011 to ensure that the fees accurately reflect the costs 
of providing access to the environmental data, information, and related 
products and services. NESDIS is authorized under 15 U.S.C. 1534 to 
assess fees, up to fair market value, for access to environmental data, 
information, and products derived from, collected, and/or archived by 
NOAA. Other than depreciation, costs to upgrade computer hardware and 
software systems will not be included in the fees charged to users. 
NESDIS is updating its schedule of fees for access to NOAA 
Environmental Data, Information, and Related Products and Services as 
costs of providing access have changed since 2011.

DATES: Effective Date: January 31, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sherida Wright, (301) 713-922 .

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    NESDIS operates NOAA's National Data Centers for Climate, 
Geophysics, Oceans, and Coasts. Through these Data Centers, NESDIS 
provides and ensures timely access to global environmental data from 
satellites and other sources, provides information services, and 
develops science products.
    NESDIS maintains some 1,300 data bases containing over 2,400 
environmental variables at three National Data Centers and seven World 
Data Centers. These centers respond to over 2,000,000 requests for 
these data and products annually from over 70 countries. This 
collection of environmental data and products is growing rapidly, both 
in size and sophistication, and as a result the associated costs have 
increased.
    Users have the ability to access the data offline, online and 
through the NESDIS e-Commerce System (NeS) online store. Our ability to 
provide these data, information, products and services depends on user 
fees.

New Fee Schedule

    The new fee schedule lists both the current fee charged for each 
item and the new fee to be charged to users that will take effect 
beginning January 31, 2013. The schedule applies to the listed services 
provided by NESDIS on or after this date, except for products and 
services covered by a subscription agreement in effect as of this date 
that extends beyond this date. In those cases, the increased fees will 
apply upon renewal of the subscription agreement or at the earliest 
amendment date provided by the agreement.
    NESDIS will continue to review the user fees periodically, and will 
revise such fees as necessary. Any future changes in the user fees and 
their effective date will be announced through notice in the Federal 
Register.

Classification

    This rule has been determined to be not significant for purposes of 
E.O. 12866. The provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 
U.S.C. 553) requiring notice of proposed rulemaking and the opportunity 
for public participation are inapplicable because this rule falls 
within the public property exception of subparagraph (a)(2) of section 
553, as it is limited only to the assessment of fees, per 15 U.S.C. 
1534, that accurately reflect the costs of providing access to publicly 
available environmental data, information, and related products. 
Further, no other law requires that a notice of proposed rulemaking and 
an opportunity for public comment be given for this rule. Because a 
notice of proposed rulemaking and an opportunity for public comment are 
not required to be given for this rule under 5 U.S.C. 553 or by any 
other law, the requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 
601 et seq.) are not applicable. Accordingly, no Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis is required and none has been prepared.

List of Subjects in 15 CFR Part 950

    Organization and functions (Government agencies).

Michael H. Abreu,
Chief, Financial Officer (CFO/CAO).

    For the reasons set forth above, 15 CFR part 950 is amended as 
follows:

[[Page 75015]]

PART 950--ENVIRONMENTAL DATA AND INFORMATION

0
1. The authority citation for part 950 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: (5 U.S.C. 552, 553). Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 
1970.



0
2. Appendix A to part 950 is revised to read as follows:

Appendix A to Part 950--Schedule of User Fees for Access to NOAA 
Environmental Data

------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Name of product/data/publication/
           information/service              Current fee       New fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOAA National Data Centers Standard User
 Fees:
    Department of Commerce Certification          $91.00          $86.00
    General Certification...............           74.00           72.00
    Paper Copy..........................            2.00            2.00
    Online In-Situ Digital Data.........            6.00             (*)
    Data Poster.........................           18.00           18.00
    Shipping Service
        for orders totaling less than               3.00            4.00
         $50.00.........................
        for orders totaling $50.00 or               3.00            4.00
         more...........................
    Rush Order Fee......................           60.00           60.00
    Super Rush Order Fee................          100.00          100.00
    Foreign Handling Fee
        for orders totaling less than              39.00           67.00
         $100.00........................
        for orders totaling $100.00 or             39.00           67.00
         more...........................
Additional National Climatic Data Center
 (NCDC) User Fees:
    NEXRAD Doppler Radar Color Prints...           17.00           14.00
    Paper Copy from Electronic Media....            6.00            6.00
    Offline In-Situ Digital Data........          156.00          124.00
    Microfilm Copy (roll to paper) per             14.00           14.00
     frame from existing film...........
    Satellite Image Product.............           83.00           73.00
    Offline Satellite Digital Data
     (average unit size is 1.2
     gigabytes)
    Offline Radar Digital Data (Level
     II) (average unit size is 4
     gigabytes)
    Offline Satellite, Radar, and Model           984.00          615.00
     Digital Data (average unit size is
     1 terabyte)
    Conventional CD-ROM/DVD.............           69.00           60.00
    Specialized CD-ROM/DVD..............          158.00          131.00
    CD-ROM/DVD Copy, Offline............           35.00           30.00
    CD-ROM/DVD Copy, Online Store.......           17.00           15.00
    Facsimile Service...................           80.00           78.00
    Order Handling......................            9.00            8.00
    Non-Digital Order Consultation......            7.00            6.00
    Digital Order Consultation..........           22.00           18.00
Additional National Oceanographic Data
 Center (NODC) User Fees:
    NODC Non-Serial Publications........           22.00           27.00
    NODC Non-Standard Data; Select/Copy            49.00           59.00
     to CD, DVD or Electronic Transfer,
     Specialized, Offline...............
    NODC Non-Standard Data; 1-1 Direct             19.00             (*)
     Copy to CD, DVD, or Electronic
     Transfer, Specialized, Offline.....
    NODC Digital and Non-Digital Off-the-           7.00            9.00
     Shelf Products, Online.............
    NODC Digital and Non-Digital Off-the-           9.00           11.00
     Shelf Products, Offline............
    NODC Order Consultation Fee.........            2.00            2.00
    NODC Handling and Packing Fee.......            7.00            8.00
    World Ocean Database-World Ocean               11.00           11.00
     Atlas 2009 DVDs....................
Additional National Geophysical Data
 Center (NGDC) User Fees:
    Mini Poster.........................            1.00            1.00
    Icosahedron Globe...................             .50            1.00
    Convert Data to Standard Image......            5.00            6.00
    Single Orbit OLS....................           16.00           18.00
    Single Orbit OLS, Additional Orbits.            5.00            5.00
    Single Orbit OLS--Subset............           16.00           18.00
    Single Orbit OLS, Subset- Additional            5.00            5.00
     Orbits.............................
    Geolocated Data.....................           45.00           47.00
    Subset of Pre-existing Geolocated              27.00           28.00
     Data...............................
    Global DMSP-OLS Nighttime Lights           73,614.00       74,032.00
     Annual Composite from One Satellite
    Most Recent DMSP-OLS Thermal Band/            250.00          259.00
     Cloud Cover Mosaics from Multiple
     Satellites.........................
    Nightly DMSP-OLS Mosaics, Visible             235.00          241.00
     and Thermal Band Data from One
     Satellite..........................
    Global DMSP-OLS Nighttime Lights            6,307.00        6,531.00
     Lunar Cycle Composite from One
     Satellite..........................
    Radiance Calibrated Global DMSP-OLS        81,047.00       82,975.00
     Nighttime Lights Annual Composite
     from One Satellite.................
    Research Data Series CD-ROM/DVD.....           25.00           25.00
    Custom Analog Plotter Prints........           60.00           60.00
    NOS Bathymetric Maps and                        7.00            7.00
     Miscellaneous Archived Publication
     Inventory..........................
    Global DMSP-OLS Annual Composite of         8,032.00        8,305.00
     Persistent Nighttime Lights on
     Monthly Increments from One
     Satellite..........................
    Data Poster.........................           18.00             (*)
    High Definition Geomagnetic Model...       19,997.00       20,060.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Reflects a product no longer offered.


[[Page 75016]]

[FR Doc. 2012-30519 Filed 12-18-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P